Issa Tchiroma Bakary – a prominent minister and long-time ally of President Paul Biya – has quit Cameroon’s government, in the hope of ending 92-year-old Biya’s four-decade grip on power in upcoming elections.

Just four months before the central African nation went to the polls, Tchiroma said the Biya administration he belonged to had “broken” public trust and he was switching to a rival party.

“A country cannot exist in the service of one man,” he said on Wednesday.

While he was communications minister, Tchiroma notably came under fire for denying – then backtracking on his denial – that Cameroonian soldiers had killed women and children in a viral video.

His other roles during almost two decades in government include being a spokesman for the Biya government, and, until his resignation on Tuesday, he was employment minister.

Paul Biya – the world’s oldest head of state – has yet to confirm if he will attempt an eighth term as president. Last year, the country banned reports on the president’s health following rumours he had died.

As this election approaches, high unemployment and soaring living costs are of concern to many Cameroonians, as are corruption and security. A separatist insurgency in the English-speaking provinces as well as jihadists operating in the northernmost region have forced many thousands of Cameroonians from their homes in the past decade.

Cracks in Tchiroma’s relationship with President Biya were blown open earlier this month, when he told crowds in his home city of Garoua that Biya’s time in power had not benefited them in any way.

Tchiroma, widely reported to be 75, continued this criticism in a 24-page manifesto released a day after his resignation – promising to dismantle “the old system” so that Cameroon could move beyond “abuse, contempt, and the confiscation of power”.

One of his proposed solutions is federalism – he is offering to hold a referendum on devolving more power to Cameroon’s 10 provinces. This has long been mooted by many as a solution to the country’s so-called Anglophone crisis.

Specifically addressing English-speaking Cameroonians, who have long complained of marginalisation and discrimination in Francophone-dominated public institutions, he said “you do not need people to speak for you – you need to be listened to” and that “centralisation has failed”.

Tchiroma also used his manifesto to say Cameroon “has been ruled for decades by the same vision, the same system. This model, long presented as a safeguard of stability, has gradually stifled progress, paralysed our institutions, and broken the bond of trust between the state and its citizens”.

As the October presidential election approaches, rights groups have condemned the government’s crackdown on dissent.

Shortly after Tchiroma announced his plans to run for the presidency, the government reportedly announced a ban on all political activities by his Cameroon National Salvation Front (CNSF) party in a sub-district of the Far North region – a part of the country where he is said to be an influential power-broker.

Weeks earlier, fellow presidential hopeful Maurice Kamto had his movements curtailed during a two-day police stakeout in Douala, after promising supporters at a rally in Paris that he would protect Biya and his family if he wins in October.

Parliamentary elections that were also supposed to take place earlier this year have been delayed until 2026.

Reaction to Tchiroma’s presidential bid has been mixed – some think he is canny.

“By positioning himself as the elder statesman who ‘saw the fire coming’, Tchiroma is hedging that his break with Biya will be seen as bold – not opportunistic,” Cameroonian analyst and broadcaster Jules Domshe said.

“From economic fallout to youth unemployment, insecurity, and growing unrest in the North-West, South-West, and Far North [regions], Cameroon is ripe for change.”

Opposition voices are divided – some want Tchiroma to support Kamto, who was the runner-up in 2018 with 14% of votes. But others say he is tainted by his long association with Biya.

“He cannot embody change… He was part of the system for too long. The youth do not trust him,” says Abdoulaye Harissou, a legal notary and prominent critic once detained by the government.

Another member of the opposition – Jean Michel Nintcheu of the APC coalition – simply said: “We don’t see Tchiroma as a potential winner.”

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Torough David, Abuja

Twenty-nine children who were taking their school exams in the Central African Republic have been killed in a crash after a nearby explosion caused panic, a hospital director disclosed.

The blast, on the second day of the high-school finals on Wednesday, occurred at an electricity transformer, said Abel Assaye from the Bangui community hospital.

“The noise of the explosion, combined with smoke” caused alarm among the almost 6,000 students sitting the baccalaureate at a school in the capital, Bangui, local radio station Ndeke Luka reported.

President Faustin-Archange Touadéra has declared a period of national mourning.

He also ordered that the more than 280 who were wounded in the crash get free treatment in hospital.

Students from five different schools in the capital had gone to the Lycée Barthélémy Boganda to sit the baccalaureate exam.

The education ministry said the explosion happened after power was restored at the electricity transformer, located on the ground floor of the main building that had been undergoing repairs.

“I also offer our sincere condolences to the parents of the affected candidates and wish a speedy recovery to the injured candidates,” Education Minister Aurelien-Simplice Kongbelet-Zimgas said in a statement.

He also announced the suspension of further exams.

A female survivor said.

“I don’t even remember what happened. We were in the exam room and when I heard a noise, I immediately fell into a daze,” she said. “Since then, I have had a pain in my pelvis that is causing me a lot of problems.”

Radio France Internationale spoke to another student whose face was covered in blood after he had climbed out of a window.

Magloire explained that the blast happened during the history and geography exam.

“The students wanted to save their lives, and as they fled, they saw death because there were so many people and the door was really small. Not everyone could get out,” he told RFI.

The CAR continues to face political instability and security challenges.

Government forces, backed by Russian mercenaries, are battling armed groups threatening to overthrow Touadéra’s administration.

By Torough David, Abuja

The Zambian government has expressed concern over the continued decline in donor funding for the refugee programme in the country, saying the government is grappling with increasing dwindling of financial support from international donors.

Minister of Home Affairs and Internal Security, Jack Mwiimbu, while acknowledging the progress made in improving the welfare of refugees, said the trend is adversely affecting the scope and effectiveness of refugee support initiatives.

“This constrains critical areas such as service delivery, infrastructure development, and livelihood opportunities for both refugees and host communities,’’ Mwiimbu told an event marking the World Refugee Day, which falls each year on June 20.

The minister emphasised the urgent need for increased, predictable, and sustainable funding to scale up Zambia’s inclusive refugee response and to maintain and expand existing services.

Despite the funding challenges, Mwiimbu said, the government remains committed to protection and support for individuals forced to flee their countries due to conflict, persecution, or other crises.

This commitment has been strengthened through the adoption of the National Refugee Policy in 2023, which outlines Zambia’s vision for refugee protection, inclusion, and resilience, the minister said.

In addition, he said, the government is undertaking key legal reforms to harmonise laws affecting refugees, intending to create a more enabling and rights-based legal environment.

She said the reforms are intended to address legal gaps and enhance accountability and the rights of refugees.

Preeta Law, the country representative of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), commended Zambia for its inclusive policies that have benefited over 110,000 asylum-seekers, refugees, and former refugees.

She noted a positive shift in Zambia’s approach from short-term humanitarian assistance to long-term development strategies that promote inclusion, resilience, and self-reliance among refugee populations.

However, Law said, refugees in Zambia still face “invisible barriers” that limit their full potential, including restrictions on movement and access to opportunities.

“If we are serious, we must dismantle these invisible barriers so that refugees can access tertiary education, compete for jobs, move freely and fully contribute to Zambia,’’ she said.

Crash Kills 29 Pupils Taking Exams after Blast in Central Africa

Twenty-nine children who were taking their school exams in the Central African Republic have been killed in a crash after a nearby explosion caused panic, a hospital director disclosed.

The blast, on the second day of the high-school finals on Wednesday, occurred at an electricity transformer, said Abel Assaye from the Bangui community hospital.

“The noise of the explosion, combined with smoke” caused alarm among the almost 6,000 students sitting the baccalaureate at a school in the capital, Bangui, local radio station Ndeke Luka reported.

President Faustin-Archange Touadéra has declared a period of national mourning.

He also ordered that the more than 280 who were wounded in the crash get free treatment in hospital.

Students from five different schools in the capital had gone to the Lycée Barthélémy Boganda to sit the baccalaureate exam.

The education ministry said the explosion happened after power was restored at the electricity transformer, located on the ground floor of the main building that had been undergoing repairs.

“I also offer our sincere condolences to the parents of the affected candidates and wish a speedy recovery to the injured candidates,” Education Minister Aurelien-Simplice Kongbelet-Zimgas said in a statement.

He also announced the suspension of further exams.

A female survivor said.

“I don’t even remember what happened. We were in the exam room and when I heard a noise, I immediately fell into a daze,” she said. “Since then, I have had a pain in my pelvis that is causing me a lot of problems.”

Radio France Internationale spoke to another student whose face was covered in blood after he had climbed out of a window.

Magloire explained that the blast happened during the history and geography exam.

“The students wanted to save their lives, and as they fled, they saw death because there were so many people and the door was really small. Not everyone could get out,” he told RFI.

The CAR continues to face political instability and security challenges.

Government forces, backed by Russian mercenaries, are battling armed groups threatening to overthrow Touadéra’s administration.